


Christmas at the Shelter

by caramelariana



Series: A Very Drarry Christmas [10]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Gen, HP: EWE, M/M, Padfoot (Drarry Christmas), Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 03:37:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3159785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caramelariana/pseuds/caramelariana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every dog has his day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas at the Shelter

**Author's Note:**

> So I know it's a bit past Christmas, but I wanted to get these uploaded while it was still technically the Christmas season. This series was originally posted in 2011 on ff.net, and I wanted to export it to AO3 while it still made sense to post a Christmas fic!

In a city as big as London, there were many animal shelters holding unwanted animals. In one such shelter lay a large, black dog. The label on his kennel said he was a lab mix, but in truth his ancestors spread over so many breeds that he could only be accurately called a mutt. Large brown eyes watched as people bypassed his cage. He had been at the shelter for almost a year. Most potential owners were put off by either his large size or unknown history.

The large mutt sighed. He didn’t understand that staying here meant he didn’t have a family. He’d never had a family. All he knew was that this place was warmer than the streets he had been wandering when he was picked up and taken here. The concrete floor was a little uncomfortable, and he didn’t have a lot of space. But he had regular meals and he was allowed outside to use the bathroom and stretch his legs. He had learned quickly that relieving himself on his walks was preferable to soiling where he slept.

His nose wrinkled at a familiar smell. He had long ago stopped bothering to lift his head when scents blew across his nose. Unless he smelled the walkers or the feeders he could pretty much guarantee that he would not be bothered. After ten months in the shelter—though that sort of time was meaningless to a dog—the “lab mix” saw very few things that held his interest. Even so, as the familiar smell stopped in front of his cage, he turned his eyes toward it.

Two men stood in front of the kennel. The same-smelling man had been in twice before, but today he brought someone unfamiliar. Had the dog been given the aid of color to his vision, he would have noticed that the familiar man had blond hair and sharp, grey eyes. His companion had brilliant green eyes and tousled black hair. As it was, the dog only saw the men in varying shades of grey, though he did absently notice a scar on one man’s forehead in the way that dogs notice unimportant details.

“You brought me here to show me a dog?” the dark one asked. The mutt heard the sounds, though the words held no meaning to him. The only forms of human language he had come to understand were “no”, “sit”, and “come”. He’d also been hearing “Rex” ever since he came to the shelter. One of the volunteers was trying to teach him the meaning of “lie down”, but he didn’t quite understand it yet.

The light man grinned. “Yes. What do you think of him?”

The dog finally lifted his head and sniffed a careful greeting. He had the sense that the two men were directing their conversation toward him. “I thought you didn’t want a dog,” the dark man said with a frown. “And even if you did, I never pictured you with a dog that looked like…that.”

“Merry Christmas!” the light one exclaimed.

The dark one snapped his head to stare at his companion. “Draco?”

“Draco” ran his hand through his hair. “You seem like the kind of man that would appreciate a dog. And every time we pass a large, black mutt you get this look in your eye.”

The dark-haired man rocked back on heels. “Can we change his name?”

“What?”

“The card here says his name is Rex. I want to change it.”

“Does this mean you like your present?”

He leaned in and kissed the other man. “I love it. Let’s go get the paperwork done.”

As the men walked away the dog placed his head back in his paws. They had provided a mild form of entertainment for the mutt, but as he’d predicted, they were not that interesting. He watched as a small yorkie mix walked down the hall in a leash held by a small boy. “Rex” sniffed them as they passed. It seemed like one of those times when not everyone got a walk. Sometimes, dogs went for walks and didn’t come back. If he had the ability, he would have shrugged.

Minutes later he smelled the two men return. One of the volunteers was with them. He wagged his tail as he recognized the woman. She always had treats with her.

“Well, it looks like you’ve finally found a home Rex!” she said. “Oops! I guess that isn’t your name anymore.” She smiled.

The dark man came toward him. “How’d you like to come home with us?” he asked. The dog didn’t understand the question, but he sniffed the outstretched hand. After determining the man to be safe, he licked it. The man smiled. “I’m gonna call you Padfoot.” The newly renamed Padfoot shook his tail. He let the man clip the leash to his collar and followed him out.

He was given a fond farewell with pats on the head from some of the volunteers he had come to know. As they exited the shelter and entered the snow, he heard the men talking behind him.

“Padfoot?” he heard the one called Draco say.

The other man chuckled. “That was Sirius’ nickname.”

“Your godfather?”

“That’s why I like black dogs. That was Sirius’ animagus form.”

The men were silent after that. They let Padfoot mark a light pole before they led him to his new home. His fur stood on end when they arrived in front of a line of row houses. He had felt this before, usually after something strange happened. Sure enough, a house emerged that hadn’t existed before. He hesitated, but the men gently urged him into the house.

“Welcome to your new home, Padfoot,” Draco said. He was let off the leash and allowed to sniff his new home. He kept some of his attention to the men talking.

“Thank you Draco.”

“Merry Christmas Harry.”

Padfoot turned to watch the two men embrace. He wagged his tail. He could tell this was a home of love.


End file.
